MANILA, Philippines—The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority on Monday started installing 100 additional high-definition closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras on various strategic locations along Metro Manila’s main thoroughfares in a bid to enhance its monitoring coverage.

He said the cameras are a mix of fixed, pan, tilt, and zoom (PTZ) with the latest video analytics software that can trigger an alarm on certain events, thus allowing the agency to respond at real time.

Of the 100 additional cameras, 18 were installed along Commonwealth Avenue, 56 along EDSA from Monumento to Taft Avenue, 14 along Aurora Boulevard (from Recto to Santolan), eight along España Boulevard, and four along Quezon Avenue.

The new wireless communication system will be manned by the MMDA Communications and Command Center which houses the Operations and Control Monitoring Group (Metrobase) and in charge of coordinative work among concerned agencies and offices in relation to accurate information dissemination and or retrieval.

It will run all through the day and is equipped with efficient network storage devices that can store and recall images and videos.

The cameras are said to have speed detection, vehicle classification, counting function, and face recognition.

Some are also equipped with the feature of license plate recognition, which has the ability to capture license plates of vehicles violating the parameters set forth by the agency.
For his part, Director General Alan Purisima, the Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, said the project can be of help to PNP in its conduct of law enforcement operations.

Purisima, who attended the launching, said he is planning to partner with MMDA in addressing criminal activities such as kidnapping and bank robberies.
“For example, there are bank robbery situations, we can immediately know the traffic situation and see from the cameras where would the perpetrators head,” Purisima said.

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http://profile.yahoo.com/DGYQPEJVAWF4N7DIHPD33DD7LY PHILLIP

This is a good project. Thank you.

magiting78

Good!!..its been long overdue

http://www.yellowmythbusters.gov.ph/ Weder-Weder Lang

Hi Chairman Tolentino, is there any way you can lessen the burden on motorists who happen to run down pedestrians who arbitrarily cross the road even when there’s a pedestrian lane or an overpass? Laging dehado ang motorista, kahit gustong magpakamatay ng nagpapasagasa. May pananagutan pa rin kasi ang motorista kahit na klaro ang pagkakamali ay nasa pedestrian. One obvious example is the pedestrian who plunged himself to death along Mindanao Avenue’s underpass going to NLEX.

i hope PNP operatives also carry digital video recorders on their vehicles or body-worn video recorder when they carry out planned operations that could potentially lead to “shoot-outs”. those are not too expensive and are worth it in reducing civilian casualties and investigation costs.

JasonBieber

They tried this in the US too years and ago and it didn’t work. This is just more excuse for people to do less work and rely on machines.

If anything this will give way to more abuse of power than anything else.

superpilipinas

It is working in many states. Oregon for example.

Diepor

Medical marihuana is also working in many states, still you oppose that.

Hey_Dudes

As I’ve always said. One need only maintain they need 1 of this and 1 of that and before we know it, the country is surrounded by these monsters all the way to the toilets. They should monitor toilets too so install one in there.

HarryK

Don’t you worry. Some elements will take care of those cameras and re-sell them to MMDA; this will be done under their noses while the monitoring officers are either sleeping or playing pusoy.

HarryK

Catching criminals doesn’t pay. The cameras must be targeting the motorists for that is where the money is.

rickysgreyes

London reduced crime rates by more than 50 percent by use of CCTVs in a lot of areas, particularly those with lots of tourists. This should be a priority project of MMDA that should be expanded. The police should have access to the CCTV system. CCTV is much cheaper today than it was 10 years ago.

These CCTV cameras can be a good deterrent to criminal activities along those streets mentioned. However, more CCTVs must be added along Quezon Avenue and Aurora Blvd.

Pedro_Gil

how much did each of the 100 units cost? bear in mind that these cctvs do not solve crime. they are just tools. let the police have more exposure on the streets instead at the office concentrated on facebook and texting on phones. i hope procurement was free from any corruption in buying the cctv since i believe they they are too many units. as taxpayers, we all need to see the transaction posted don’t we? Mukhang show biz lang kasi at sayang ang perang ito. dahil ba hindi natuloy ang project ng MMDA? pag natuloy yan eh di bakbakan na naman sa kalye o sa taas? Goodluck again mga kababayan oras na para tayo magising!

1voxPopuli

my take is it’s better than nothing. if one of this CCTVs can deter a criminal from doing a crime then why not have them.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_IAQLUSKZ7TH4C2FHOD7SLQONQ4 bong

It’s a deterrence. 100 CCTVs are not enough. In Bangkok, they installed a million CCTVs. See the difference.

disqusted0fu

CCTVs are supposed to help, but then if the law enforcers remain unsatisfactory, the CCTVs are useless. It just provides more entertainment whenever you watch the news. Not that we need more entertainment because we already get that from showbiz and from the Aquino administration.